Zanzibar

I just got back from the group trip to Zanzibar – where to begin! I enjoyed the much needed break from classes. We have only two more weeks studying at the University before moving out to the field, which means I have to write my research proposal ASAP. This was a chance to get to experience another facet of Tanzanian culture. Zanzibar’s population is nearly one hundred percent Moslem, so the dress code is very strict. I made a mistake there before the trip even began! I only realized once I was on the ferry that the shorts I was wearing are frowned on in Zanzibar. Fortunately I had a kitenge with that I could put on over my shorts, but it was just another example for me of my own foreign cultural norms that I have always taken for granted.

The ferry ride to the island was really chill. You can only imagine how many “I’m on a boat . . .” references were made. We left right at sunrise, and as the ferry cut across the water flying fish disturbed by the wake would zoom into the air! The water in the Indian Ocean is stunningly blue; I never cease to be amazed by the true intensity of the color.

We stayed at a hotel in Stone Town, the old historic section of Zanzibar. The layout of Stone Town is a maze of narrow streets, tiny shops and mosques. Exploring the winding streets reminded me a lot of Toledo, Spain. I have a dangerous affiliation for these maze-like cities because there is so much mystery hidden among the alleys. Every corner you turn presents you with new surprises and snapshots of the local people. I have a good sense of direction so I don’t get lost – except one morning when some friends and I got caught in a downpour and I would rather have not lost my way. We were taking pictures at sunrise and at the beach saw storms coming in. We headed back towards the hotel, but were not fast enough. It rained so hard that I could hardly see, and within two minutes the streets of Stone Town had transformed to rivers. Because there are no drains, all the water runs off the roofs and funnels down the streets. By the time we found the hotel, the rain had turned to drizzle and we were completely soaked. It was such an exciting adventure!

At night the boardwalk down by the harbor transforms from a peaceful little park to a food eating extravaganza. I ate so many mishikaki (skewers) and good seafood! The best was the tuna and red snapper, but I also ate octopus – suckers and everything. They also made this really good drink from freshly milked sugarcane, ginger, and lime juice. I was really overwhelmed by the atmosphere but went again the next night for Zanzibar pizza with nutella and mango. I met a local (Zanzibarian?) who was really interesting to talk to. We talked for over an hour comparing the US and Tanzania, practicing Kiswahili, and just talking about what he does for a living. He works three jobs: a cook at the food fest, his uncle’s shop, and laying cement. Unfortunately I have forgotten his name, but he was really interested in what kinds of fish we catch in the US. I had a lot of fun trying to explain in broken Swahili what a catfish is.

We met with a fisheries ecologist early one morning. I was so inspired by her lecture – she manages about five different projects, pursuing whatever she finds interesting or urgent at the time. Her projects are so cool – working to establish a pearl farming industry, studying dolphins, the effects of development-induced beach erosion on coral reefs, etc. Our group took a tour to the spice farms in the island’s interior. It was completely different from my visions of ordered rows of bushes and vines. The farm was a jumbled forest of cinnamon, cacao, coffee, black pepper, etc. trees with vanilla vines draped all over among the cardamom and ginger plants. It was a lot of fun to taste and smell all variety of spices. I learned that the Moslems use nutmeg as an aphrodisiac at ceremonial events. Their beliefs don’t allow them to drink alcohol, so instead they eat cloves of nutmeg and become drunk from the spice. After the tour we had a special meal prepared with all the good spices that we had seen that morning, plus a fruit tasting where I tried jackfruit, which tastes like a cross between pineapple and banana and looks like a diseased brain. We visited a forest with endemic red colobus monkeys at the conclusion of our day. The monkeys were quite entertaining, as they had no fear of people and thus showed no inhibition in landing on branches right above our heads or just sitting on the ground right in front of you!

The last morning of our stay we all went snorkeling on a reef by Prison Island. The fish diversity at this reef was fantastic, as were the corals and clams. These reef fish are mind-bogglingly brilliant in their coloration and weird in physiology. I feel like I posses a great secret when I explore a reef and discover the amazingly colorful world hidden beneath the ocean. Reefs make dry land seem as monotonous as black and white. On the ride back to Zanzibar our boat driver hit a gigantic ferry! We were going full steam ahead towards port, and we noticed that this large ferry was on a course intersecting with our own. As we got closer I began to think that we were definitely not going fast enough to beat it, nor were we turning enough to avoid it. At the last minute the driver slammed the boat into reverse, but it was too late. We hit the side of the ferry dead on and scraped painfully along the entire boat length. I am still baffled by the fact that in the entire ocean, we had to hit a ferry – the largest possible obstacle out there! Nobody was harmed, neither was our boat although there is now a nice long scratch in the blue hull of that ferry. Crazy.

Time to hunker down and finish my research proposal to prepare for Tarangire!